Back on the mountain, Jiang Zhi wanted to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet... but that was just a dream.
Sleeping in late is impossible in a farmhouse. In the early morning, before dawn, people are awakened by the crowing of chickens, chirping of birds, and squealing of pigs.
Both families got up and went about their own business.
They were so busy that they only had time to rest when the two families sat down to eat breakfast together.
Chunfeng said she wanted to sell some chickens.
There are fifty or sixty chickens raised on the mountain, but we can't manage them all.
Qiaoyun is pregnant this month and can't watch over the chickens all the time. Wild boars aren't always at home, and the dog is still small. Wild animals have already come to steal the chickens.
Yesterday afternoon, a rooster went missing in broad daylight. Several people searched the area around Laoyun Cliff, which made Qiaoyun very distressed.
Jiang Zhi agreed. Now that more people in the village are raising chickens, it's easier to buy chicken and eggs if you want to eat them, so there's no need to raise too many on the mountain.
A dozen or so chickens are enough for two families; it's convenient to raise them in enclosures and doesn't waste feed.
Grandma Xiaoman put the peeled eggs into Nini and Caixia's bowls and said, "Your grandpa said there will definitely be a drought for a while this year, so we should plant less and raise fewer chickens."
We give the children the plain eggs, and the salted eggs in the jar are for us adults.
Jiang Zhi originally planned to continue seed production, but she had to stop this year.
Because Xiaoman said that there wouldn't be enough rain in spring, and there might be a drought.
Therefore, in March, no rice was planted in the terraced fields, only some wheat.
Now we're planting corn and some sweet potatoes everywhere, and abandoning some of the sloping land to plant peanuts and cotton.
It's only June, but there are already signs of drought. Since the wheat harvest began, there has been less nightly rain than usual, and the heat has arrived earlier than in previous years.
It wasn't just Grandpa Xiaoman who noticed this; several older people in the village also realized it.
Drought is not unusual in Ba County; it happens every year for a while.
Three days without rain is a minor drought, and five days without rain is a major drought.
When there was no rain for a whole month during the long winter, King Zhou found a reason to go to the capital to "be close to the emperor's side" and send troops.
Tian Gui and his team had already blocked the weir to store water, and the ponds that were repaired last year also had water. Minor droughts weren't a big problem, but major droughts... well, they could just endure them like this.
There is a century-old well in the village that has never dried up, even in the worst droughts.
But it's different in the mountains. Besides people needing spring water, crops still rely on rainwater.
It's already June, and Caixia is two years old. The irrigation ditch above the terraced fields is still only half full of water, so Jiangzhi and Chunfeng can no longer bathe in the open air.
Xu Dazhu sat in the high chair specially made for him and said, "Grandma, Chunfeng doesn't like salted egg whites, so give her white eggs from now on."
He peeled a hole in the salted egg in front of him, took out the yolk, and put it into Chunfeng's bowl.
Then he took the eggshell from Chunfeng's hand, skillfully scooped out the egg white with chopsticks, and mixed it into his own paste.
Grandma Xiaoman gave him a reproachful look: "I said the child should eat white eggs, of course Chunfeng is included. No matter how old she is, she still looks like a child to me."
Despite the risk of drought, having experienced all sorts of major disasters, Xiaoman is not worried at all now.
Another reason why we weren't panicking was that the jars at home were full of grain.
There will be houses in the village soon. If people really can't live on the mountain anymore, they can move down the mountain.
Jiang Zhi remained calm and simply smiled as she looked at the people in front of her and talked about eggs.
After dinner, He Xiang fetched water to wash clothes, Qiao Yun carefully braided Cai Xia's hair, and Nini patiently taught Xiong Xiaomei to walk while holding the dog's leg.
Chunfeng and Jiangzhi went to the old shed on the cliff to see the essence and the Tibetan incense that had been prepared in advance.
Looking at the row of jars sealed with yellow clay and two baskets of incense coils that were ready to be sprayed with liquid, Jiang Zhi was very satisfied: "Chunfeng, you guys are getting faster and faster at making these things!"
A batch of Tibetan incense sticks was delivered to the city when the grains were being sold, and now there are already two baskets of them. It seems that Xu Dazhu and Chunfeng haven't stopped working during the few days I've been at the pharmacy.
This couple takes care of the chickens and pigs, and still finds time to make incense sticks; they're truly honest and hardworking people.
Chunfeng said, "We didn't do much farming this year. We fed the chickens and pigs in the morning, and in the afternoon when we had nothing to do, we made mosquito coils."
Even the distillation of essences takes several people to do, and now with morning glory and blended incense, making these things is not difficult.
This time, when the medicine was delivered into the city again, a batch was taken away with it.
Although Jiang Zhi and Er Rui have spent less and less time on the mountain in the past six months, Xu Dazhu's health has been getting better and better.
There was little work to do in the fields, and he couldn't move around easily, so he spent most of his time making incense sticks from clay.
Moreover, during those five days, Qianniu stayed with Dazhu the whole time, and gradually learned how to do it.
Jiang Zhi was in a hurry to come up the mountain, partly because Qiaoyun was pregnant and needed his company, and partly to prepare to send a batch of incense into the city.
With Chunfeng and Dazhu as backup, Jiang Zhi couldn't have it easier.
Without the help of these people, even if I had eight arms, it wouldn't have helped me.
There was no need to rush to make incense sticks, so Jiang Zhi could truly relax.
With one thing after another happening, even someone as tough as her would feel mentally exhausted.
After the pharmacy finishes producing a batch of the new medicine, I will need to go to the city again to deliver it to the county government.
Taking advantage of a few days of free time, Jiang Zhi invited Qian Niu along. Now was the time to pick mushrooms and wild fruits, so it was a good opportunity to show Qian Niu around the surrounding mountains and forests.
He was the boy, and the fastest on both families. He needed to familiarize himself with all the surrounding mountain paths so he could handle any situation that might arise.
These were originally Xiaoman and Errui's business, but now both of them are busy in the village, leaving Jiangzhi to suffer.
He was very happy to see that he was about to go out. He had been on the mountain for almost ten days and had only been wandering around the house. He hadn't even left Lao Yunya.
It wasn't just Gyeon-woo who was happy; a pig was too.
Jiang Zhi had just slung her basket over her shoulder when Peiqi, who had been slumped in the pit, appeared in front of her.
"Peppa, let's go! Let's go see where the ditch is first," Jiang Zhi patted the pig's head.
The ox also came over, but dared not touch the wild boar again.
Since being taught a lesson for hurting someone that day, Peppa no longer hurts He Xiang and Qian Niu, but she also doesn't give them any face; except for feeding them, you can't touch her at other times.
The sun was shining overhead, but the forest was cool. The two people and the pig walked into the woods.
Since the purpose was simply to familiarize Qianniu with the mountain paths, Jiangzhi walked along the routes she usually frequented.
Peppa was familiar with these places; Jiang Zhi pointed in the direction, and it knew exactly where to go.
This time, Jiang Zhi wanted to check the mountain stream on the mountaintop where wild boars had been killed. If the water there was low, they would need to consider finding water.
Upon hearing the ditch, Peppa ran towards the depression between the two mountain peaks.
In the height of summer, the mountain forests are lush with foliage, and all sorts of grasses, leaves, and thorns grow haphazardly, making it impossible to see the path at all.
For Jiang Zhi, she only needed to observe the direction of the grass blades to know where the path was, but Qian Niu was extremely nervous as it was her first time walking in such an environment.
The road was obscured, and spiderwebs hung in the air, occasionally obscuring people's faces.
They were so focused on the top that they couldn't keep up with the bottom. Before they had even climbed a short slope, Qianniu was already sweating profusely.
Seeing that he was having a hard time, Jiang Zhi reminded him, "Qian Niu, use a twig to part the grass and follow Peppa Pig's trail."
The thick-skinned wild boar in front of them wasn't afraid of the thorny vines and even pushed the grass leaves to make a path, but it ran too fast and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
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